Department for Transport

Public Transport: Fares

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of lower cost public transport on local economies.

Michael Ellis: The Department for Transport evaluated the Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF), which distributed over £500 million to local areas between 2011-2015. Local authorities invested the funding in schemes to increase bus and rail patronage and active travel (cycling and walking), and complementary initiatives such as new bus services, cycle training and travel support for job-seekers. The evaluation, which is available on the Gov.UK website, shows that the LSTF had a range of positive effects for local economies, including enhancing town centre vitality, helping jobseekers into work, and helping business with recruitment.

Department for Transport: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many meetings he held with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 March 2019 and 31 May 2019.

Michael Ellis: The Secretary of State for Transport has had no meetings with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 March 2019 and 31 May 2019.

Electric Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of requiring automotive manufacturers to make a fixed proportion of the vehicles they make available for sale electric.

Michael Ellis: EU regulations set mandatory limits on the CO2 emissions of new cars and vans registered in the UK. Negotiations on new targets for 2025 and 2030 have recently concluded and were informed by a European Commission impact assessment of mechanisms to encourage manufacturers to produce electric vehicles, including setting a sales mandate. The assessments are available https://ec.europa.eu/clima/sites/clima/files/transport/vehicles/docs/swd_2017_650_p1_en.pdf and https://ec.europa.eu/clima/sites/clima/files/transport/vehicles/docs/swd_2017_650_p2_en.pdf

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Iron and Steel: Manufacturing Industries

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government has made an estimate of the cost of electricity in the steel sectors in (a) the UK, (b) Germany and (c) France.

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of uncompetitive electricity prices in the UK steel sector on that sector’s ability to compete internationally.

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of high electricity prices on the resilience of the UK steel industry.

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to UK Steel's report entitled The Energy Price Scandal, published in December 2018, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of implementing the recommendations made in that report to reduce the disparity between industrial electricity prices in the UK and those in Germany and France.

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if the Government will commit to providing competitive power prices for the steel sector.

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the Government plans to provide a higher level of exemption to the UK steel sector for the costs of renewables.

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing (a) German, French and Netherlands-style discounts on network costs, (b) a Capacity Market Levy exemption, (c) 100 per cent compensation for the indirect costs of carbon and (d) other substantive measures to lower the high electricity prices faced by the UK steel sector.

Chris Skidmore: Between 2005 and 2010, industrial electricity prices rose by 64 per cent. Including taxes, industrial electricity prices rose from 4.77 pence per kWh in 2005 to 7.84 pence per kWh in 2010 while between 2010 and 2017, industrial electricity prices (including taxes) have risen from 7.84 to 9.79 pence per kWh. The steel sector has received more than £291 million in compensation since 2013 to make energy costs more competitive [accurate as at 31/05/19], including over £53 million during 2018. Last year we announced the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund worth up to £315 million to support businesses with high energy use to transition to a low carbon future and to cut their bills through increased energy efficiency.

EDF Energy: East Suffolk

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure that EDF contribute to road and rail infrastructure in east Suffolk in advance of the construction of Sizewell C nuclear power station; and will he make a statement.

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure EDF contributes infrastructure money to fund A12 road improvements given the proposed change from a marine to a land-based construction of Sizewell C nuclear power station.

Andrew Stephenson: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 11 April 2019 to Question 242092. For clarification, while that answer reflects a general principle of how mitigations for planning impacts are considered, that principle applies to specific types of infrastructure (such as road and rail) as well as to specific examples of that infrastructure (such as the A12 road). I note that EDF consulted about the Sizewell proposals from 4 January 2019 – 29 March 2019 and that members of the public and other interested parties were invited to provide their views on those proposals.

Fracking

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when his Department plans to respond to the inclusion of shale gas production projects in the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project regime consultation which closed on 25 October 2018.

Chris Skidmore: The Government is considering the responses to this consultation and will publish its response in due course.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Contracts

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what contracts his Department has awarded in each of the last five years that were positively assessed on criteria for (a) UK content, (b) socio-economic weighting and (c) most economically advantageous tender.

Andrew Stephenson: This question would be a disproportionate cost to answer, as we do not hold this information centrally. However, BEIS is committed to ensuring to creating and fostering a positive environment for businesses in the UK. This is shown through a number of different activities, for example the UK Steel Charter, which maximises opportunities for UK steel producers in relation to the procurement of steel for major projects.

Energy Performance Certificates

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of ensuring that the housing stock in each local authority area up to Energy Performance Certificate bands (a) B and (b) C.

Chris Skidmore: In the Clean Growth Strategy, we set out our aspiration that as many homes as possible will be upgraded to an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Band C by 2035, where practical, cost effective and affordable. We estimate that, to meet our stated ambition, cost-effective improvements to homes would cost in the region of £35-65bn, though there would also be significant benefits to consumers from lower energy bills. We do not hold data on how this cost breaks down by local authority area, which would depend on a wide range of factors.

Ofgem: Environmental Protection

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to introduce a Policy and Strategy Statement in relation to strategic guidance on Ofgem's environmental and decarbonisation responsibilities.

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what guidance the Government has issued to Ofgem on that organisation's environmental and decarbonisation responsibilities.

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what statutory obligations Ofgem has in relation to environmental and decarbonisation aspects of energy policy.

Chris Skidmore: The Strategic Policy Statement (SPS) is a discretional policy tool, introduced under the Energy Act 2013, for use by a Secretary of State. There is no obligation for a Secretary of State to issue an SPS.Under the Gas Act 1986 and the Electricity Act 1989 Ofgem’s principal legal duty is to protect the interests of existing and future consumers, including “their interests in the reduction of electricity (and gas) supply emissions of targeted greenhouse gases”. The regulator must also have regard to the gas and electricity systems’ effect on the environment (Part 1, section 5 of GA86 and EA89).Ofgem is required to have regard to guidance issued by the Secretary of State on environmental and social matters when carrying out its duties and functions. Ofgem sets out annually how it is has helped the Government make progress towards its environmental goals. https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/letter-secretary-state-social-and-environmental-guidance-2018

Wind Power

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has plans to support local community (a) ownership and (b) control of onshore wind farms.

Chris Skidmore: The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sets out the Government’s policy on onshore wind and explains that for new schemes to be acceptable they should be on a site allocated in a development plan and have community support. The NPPF also sets out that in principle local planning authorities should support community-led initiatives for renewable and low carbon energy.

Musicians: Intellectual Property

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent representations he has received on protecting musical groups from having their names registered by third parties for intellectual property purposes without permission.

Chris Skidmore: My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has responsibility for intellectual property and regularly receives a wide range of representations about rights across the intellectual property spectrum. In the case of a trade mark application for a band name, the application would be examined in accordance with the Trade Mark Act 1994 and the Trade Mark Rules 2008. Any trade mark applications including the name of a famous individual or group would be considered in line with Section 3(6) of the Trade Marks Act 1994, which states that a trade mark shall not be registered if or to the extent that the application is made in bad faith. Anyone can oppose the registration of a trade mark once it has been published after examination through the Intellectual Property Office’s low-cost tribunal service. The government also provides a specialised Intellectual Property Enterprise Court to provide access to justice at an affordable cost for SMEs and entrepreneurs. This court has streamlined procedures, a limit on legal costs and a cap on damages. It also includes a specific small claims track for disputes up to the value of £10,000.

Minimum Wage: Enforcement

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2019 to Question 261273, what the outcomes of the HMRC investigations that were completed but did not result in employers being found non-compliant were.

Kelly Tolhurst: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Minimum Wage: Enforcement

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 10 June 2019 to Question 260713 on Minimum Wage, whether the Director of Labour Market Enforcement recommended that the naming of non-compliant employers be suspended for the duration of the review of the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government remains committed to enforcing the National Minimum Wage (NMW). We have more than doubled HMRC’s budget for NMW compliance and enforcement since 2015 to £27.4 million for 2019/20. The Director of Labour Market Enforcement recommended evaluation of the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme in his 2018/19 Strategy. The Director’s consultation revealed mixed views from stakeholders about naming; some were strongly supportive, whilst others proposed ideas for increasing its effectiveness as a deterrent to underpayment of the minimum wage. The Government decided to pause the naming of non-compliant employers while we determine what changes are needed to make sure the scheme continues to have resonance and acts as a tool to drive compliance.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Empty Property

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will publish the names and locations of the land and buildings owned by his Department that are (a) sitting empty and (b) in the process of being sold or disposed of; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has no owned vacant property in the UK in the sales programme. The overseas land and buildings owned by the FCO that are both vacant and in our sales programme are set out in the table below:OVERSEAS POSTPROPERTY USEAccraStaff Units (x6)BanjulStaff Units (x8)BridgetownStaff UnitLimaStaff UnitNairobiStaff UnitPort MoresbyStaff UnitPortimaoOfficeSao PauloResidenceSkopjeLandViennaStaff unitWashingtonStaff UnitYangon (Rangoon)Staff UnitYerevanResidenceYerevanOffice

International Law

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to strengthen the rules-based international order.

Mark Field: The rules-based international system has made the world collectively more prosperous and safe than ever before. Making the case for effective multilateralism is the responsibility of all those who believe in the opportunities that co-operation brings. Upholding and strengthening this system is a priority for the government. We are reinvigorating and expanding the UK's diplomatic network in order to reinforce our friendships and alliances, to defend the values of democracy and human rights, to reform the multilateral architecture where needed and to reach agreement on new rules in evolving policy areas. This will allow the UK to play a leading role in shaping a rules-based international system fit for the future.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: International Military Services

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on what date the last official from his Department ended their secondment to IMS Ltd.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's current record of secondments, which dates back to 2013, holds no information about the secondment of an official from the department to IMS ltd.

Libya: Undocumented Migrants

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support the conflict, stability and security fund has provided to tackle irregular migration through Libya.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The British Government has supported a range of activities designed to tackle irregular migration in Libya through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF). Currently the CSSF supports the National Crime Agency-led Organised Immigration Crime Taskforce which, in the last 12 months, has supported the development of a Libyan-owned serious organised crime strategy, sharing best practice with the Libya Attorney-General's Office, and building niche law enforcement capabilities with trusted Libyan partners to tackle modern slavery and organised immigration crime threats. In addition, the CSSF is supporting the deployment of staff to the Operational Headquarters of EUNAVFOR Med Operation SOPHIA, the EU mission disrupting migrant smuggling and trafficking in the Mediterranean.

Sudan: Immigration Controls

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions has he had with his European counterparts on the EU's role in supporting border security and migration control in Sudan since December 2018.

Harriett Baldwin: ​The UK is part of a longstanding European Union - East African partnership on managing migration, combatting organised immigration crime and addressing the devastating effects of trafficking in the Horn and North Africa. Discussions occur through mechanisms including the Khartoum Process, of which the UK is a member of the Steering Committee. The last senior officials meeting of the Khartoum Process took place in Nairobi on 8-9 May 2018. British officials in Sudan frequently engage with EU counterparts on a variety of issues, including migration control and border security. Part of EU-African joint efforts to tackle organised immigration crime in the Horn of Africa is delivered through the 'Regional Operations Centre Khartoum' (ROCK), to which the UK has contributed funding for a specialist expert in the past. However, due to recent events in Sudan, EU funded work on the ROCK is suspended. British officials in London, the region and Brussels are in frequent contact with EU partners to ensure all work in Sudan reflects the current situation, in line with our human rights priorities.

Libya: Undocumented Migrants

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether an Overseas Security and Justice Assessment has been undertaken for any of his Department's activity that supports the Libyan Coastguard or any other Libyan actors engaging in countering irregular migration.

Dr Andrew Murrison: ​All required Overseas Security and Justice Assistance (OSJA) processes have been completed. An OSJA was undertaken in 2016-2017 for historic Conflict, Stability and Security Fund support to an Assisted Voluntary Returns project and, in April 2017, to cover the UK funding contribution for EUNAVFOR MED Operation Sophia Libyan Coastguard and Navy training task.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Statistics

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, on how many occasions her Department has received representations from the UK Statistics Authority on her Department's presentation and use of statistics in each year since 2010.

John Penrose: Details on the UK Statistics Authority’s interventions are published in the correspondence, publications, and issues log sections of their website since 2010. The Authority’s Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) also carry out regular assessments and systemic reviews, details of which can also be found on the Authority’s website. In September 2018, the Authority published the first annual summary of its interventions for the financial year 2017/18. The report for 2018/19 will be published in the autumn.

Department of Health and Social Care

Cancer: Young People

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the rise in the incidence of cancer in young people under 25.

Seema Kennedy: Cancer incidence rates over the last ten years for people under 25 years old show a minimal increase in absolute numbers. Unlike with many adult cancers, lifestyle-related risk factors (such as smoking) do not influence a young person’s risk of developing cancer so cancers are less preventable. The small increase in incidence therefore reflects changes in demographics rather than relative risk of having cancer at any given age.As such, our focus is on research and ensuring that children and young people get the very best treatment and care if they do develop cancer. The NHS Long Term Plan has a series of commitments to improve outcomes for all cancer patients, including children and young people with cancer. For example, the National Health Service will actively support children and young people to take part in clinical trials, so that participation among children remains high, and among teenagers and young adults rises to 50% by 2025. Also, from 2019, the NHS will begin to offer all children with cancer whole genome sequencing to enable more comprehensive and precise diagnosis, and access to more personalised treatments.

Health and Social Care Act 2012

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to inform Parliament about his Department's response to NHS England's proposals on amending the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the 2019 NHS mandate will include a response to NHS England's proposals on amending the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

Stephen Hammond: The National Health Service outlined several potential areas for legislative change in ‘Implementing the NHS Long Term Plan: Proposals for possible changes to legislation’, published in February 2019. NHS England are currently developing a consultation response on the legislative proposals, following a public engagement exercise. They expect to publish this shortly, and the Government will respond formally in due course.The Government’s priority is to support the NHS to improve patient outcomes by delivering the Long Term Plan. The Government will consider legislative proposals where they support the vision outlined in the Long Term Plan and have widespread support from within the NHS.As the proposals are still under development, the Government response to these proposals was not included in the 2019-20 Accountability Framework, which combines the Government’s mandate to NHS England with the remit to NHS Improvement and was published on 21 May 2019 on GOV.UK.

Health Services: Contracts

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the term lead provider is defined and whether organisations other than the NHS may be lead providers.

Stephen Hammond: The term ‘lead provider’ does not have a specific legal definition, but it usually means a person who holds a contract, and subcontracts some obligations under that contract. It is a term used in the National Health Service and elsewhere. In the NHS context, health and other related services are commissioned by public bodies – NHS England, clinical commissioning groups and local authorities. Providers, including lead providers, may be NHS (i.e. NHS trusts and foundation trusts) or non-NHS bodies.

NHS: Freedom of Information

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will issue guidance to commissioners of NHS services on how commercial confidentiality affects answers to freedom of information requests.

Stephen Hammond: The Freedom of Information Act 2000 provides a right of access to a wide range of information held by public sector organisations, including clinical commissioning groups (CCGs).The Parliamentary and Public Accountability Agreements Protocols in place between the Department and its arm’s length bodies covers best practice for responding to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests. This includes consulting with the Department where necessary and sets out that the Department’s FOI team will provide informal, impartial advice on relevant legislation and duties.

Medical Treatments

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the UK Government’s response to the resolution on improving the transparency of markets at the 72nd World Health Assembly in Geneva on the ability of people in the UK to access medicines.

Seema Kennedy: The United Kingdom participates in various transparency initiatives, including the European Integrated Price Information Database, the World Health Organization’s Pharmaceutical Pricing Reimbursement Information Network, and the Global Fund Price and Quality Database. The UK has a long-established and globally-recognised track record of assessing the price of new, innovative medicines according to their clinical value, rather than pricing by their development costs or international reference prices.We believe that is the right approach: ensuring the development of the best medicines in areas of high unmet need are rewarded. The Government could not, therefore, agree to a resolution which had the potential to increase medicines prices and reduce patient access, by reducing the ability of the National Health Service to undertake commercial negotiations with pharmaceutical companies on the price of new medicines.The approach taken by the NHS has meant we were the first country in Europe to offer innovative CAR-T therapies, alongside many other new medicines.

Care Homes: Abuse

James Frith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) residents of care homes and (b) the families of those residents in England are aware of mechanisms for reporting abuse.

Caroline Dinenage: Mechanisms are in place for residents of care homes and their families to report abuse.Under the Care Act 2014, in any activity that a local authority undertakes, it should ensure that the individual is, and remains, protected against abuse or neglect.Section 4 of the Care Act 2014 also places a duty on local authorities to “establish and maintain a service for providing people in its area with information and advice relating to care and support for adults and support for carers.” This service includes information and advice about what to do in cases of neglect or abuse of an adult. Where it is suspected that an individual may be at risk of abuse or neglect, local authorities have a duty to carry out proportionate enquiries.Quality Matters includes work to improve access to complaints systems and improve the feedback culture in the sector. In July 2018, as part of the initiative, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman and Healthwatch England published the Single Complaints Statement – a guide for each stage of the complaints process, for adult social care providers and commissioners, people who use services, their families and carers. This sets out what service users, their families and representatives can expect when making a complaint with a simple bulleted guide for each stage of the complaints process. Service providers are encouraged to adopt the single complaints statements into their own complaints policies and highlight them in any information they give to service users, their families and representatives.

Care Homes: Inspections

James Frith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions his Ministers have had with the Care Quality Commission on (a) the care home inspection regime and (b) the potential inadequacies of that regime.

Caroline Dinenage: Ministers in the Department meet regularly with senior leaders from the Care Quality Commission to discuss a wide range of issues.

Care Homes: Abuse

James Frith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many reports of abuse there have been in care homes in (a) Bury, (b) the North West and (c) England in each of the last five years.

Caroline Dinenage: The following table shows the number of allegations of abuse in care home locations received by the Care Quality Commission between 2014 to 2018.Year receivedNumber of Notifications Bury Local AuthorityNorth West RegionEngland2014995,74137,06020151226,94843,06420161647,85646,22720171769,30457,73820181829,93667,590Grand Total74339,785251,679This data includes multiple notifications about individual locations.

Care Homes: Closures

James Frith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many care homes have been closed in England as a result of (a) complaints and (b) a Care Quality Commission inspection rating of poor in each of the last five years.

Caroline Dinenage: The following table shows the total number of care homes that have been forcibly closed by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Number of Enforced Closures of Locations by Latest Overall Published Rating*TotalYear of closureNot ratedGoodRequires improvementInadequate201442   42201543134087201634 859101201721412731102018751564912019 (to date) 372636Grand Total1471345262467Notes:*The last rating cannot be linked as the cause of the closure.In addition to these figures a significant number of locations will have voluntarily closed before CQC enforcement action is completed.

NHS: Drugs

James Frith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the availability of medicines after the UK leaves the EU.

Stephen Hammond: The Government remains committed to leaving the European Union with a deal. However, as a responsible Government, we will continue to prepare to minimise any disruption to the supply of medicines and medical products in a potential ‘no deal’ scenario.We are continuing to work with trade bodies and other stakeholders to carefully review the implications of the extension to the Article 50 period until 31 October at the latest before sharing further guidance with industry at the earliest opportunity. On 26 April we wrote to suppliers advising that, until further guidance is provided, all no-deal measures, including stockpiles and plans to route away from the short straits, should remain in place but on hold.

NHS: Drugs

James Frith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to tackle shortages of (a) Adalat, (b) Nifedipine and (c) other common medicines.

Seema Kennedy: The vast majority of medicines are not subject to supply problems and every day over 2 million prescription items are successfully dispensed in England.Where problems do occur the Department’s Medicines Supply Team has well established procedures to deal with medicine shortages and works closely with all stakeholders to help prevent shortages and to ensure that the risks to patients are minimised when they do arise.We are aware of ongoing supply issues with the Adalat range of the drug nifedipine due to manufacturing capacity constraints. We have been working closely with all suppliers of generic and other brands of nifedipine to maintain overall supply of this medicine to patients and have provided regular updates about the situation to the National Health Service.We will continue to work closely with all manufacturers of nifedipine preparations to monitor the overall supply situation to ensure supplies continue to remain available.

Obesity

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to tackle obesity.

Seema Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Primary Care (Steve Brine MP) to the hon. Member for Cardiff Central (Jo Stevens MP) on 28 February 2019 to Question 225540.

NHS: Staff

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the NHS has the staff it needs for the long term.

Stephen Hammond: The Interim NHS People Plan, puts staff at the heart of National Health Service policy and delivery and sets out a shared vision and the actions the NHS will take now and over the long term to meet the challenges of supply, reform, culture and leadership. The Plan seeks to increase undergraduate supply, shift role perceptions, increase training and development opportunities, and offer better routes into health and social care careers, to boost workforce recruitment and retention. A final People Plan will be published soon after the conclusion of the Spending Review.

Patients: Safety

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support global patient safety.

Caroline Dinenage: Patient safety in the National Health Service is a key priority for the Government. We also remain committed to building on the momentum we have established to address patient safety challenges globally.The United Kingdom-led World Health Assembly Resolution, ‘Global Action on Patient Safety’, was adopted on 28 May 2019. It urges all countries to prioritise safety in the delivery of universal health coverage and establishes an annual World Patient Safety Day on 17 September.The Government is committed to maintaining its leadership role on global patient safety.

Mental Health Services: East Midlands

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much money each Clinical Commissioning Group in the East Midlands allocated to mental health services in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Information on how much money each clinical commissioning group (CCG) allocates to specific service area, for example, mental health services, is not collected centrally. It is for individual CCGs to determine budgets for mental health services based on their populations’ needs.The Mental Health Investment Standard (MHIS) requires CCGs to increase investment in mental health services in line with overall increase in funding.

Cannabis: Medical Treatments

Ian Blackford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many companies are licensed to sell cannabis products to the NHS.

Seema Kennedy: Any company meeting the standards for the manufacture of unlicensed medicinal products, can supply cannabis-based products for medicinal use. Cannabis-based products for medicinal use are Schedule 2 controlled drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001, which means that manufacturers, importers and distributors of these products must hold valid Home Office and Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) licences for the relevant activities which will include possession, supply and production of controlled drugs. Where products are sourced from abroad, importers must obtain an import licence from the Home Office and non-objection to import from the MHRA for each individual import of a controlled drug.

Speech Therapy: Children

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report of the Children's Commissioner published 11 June 2019 entitled We need to talk: Access to speech and language therapy, what steps he is taking to end the postcode lottery in funding for speech and language therapy for children.

Caroline Dinenage: The NHS Long Term Plan recognises the importance of speech and language therapists and proposes that local areas design and implement models of care that are age appropriate, closer to home and bring together physical and mental health services.The Department for Education with Public Health England is investing £1.9 million in training for health visitors and early years practitioners to promote speech, language and communication.

Cannabis: Medical Treatments

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on ensuring that medical cannabis is available to people who need it.

Seema Kennedy: The law was changed on 1 November 2018 to allow clinicians on the General Medical Council’s ‘Specialist Register’ to prescribe cannabis-based products for medicinal use, where clinically appropriate and in the best interest of patients.Interim clinical guidance has been issued by the Royal College of Physicians, the British Paediatric Neurology Association and the Association of British Neurologists to support doctors looking to prescribe cannabis-based products. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has been commissioned to develop updated clinical guidance on the prescribing of cannabis-based medicinal products, which will be published by October 2019. It will be based on the best available international evidence and will have been produced using NICE’s world-renowned process for delivering such guidance.

Lung Diseases: Medical Equipment

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the merits for his Department's policies of the recommendation by the Committee on Climate Change in its Net Zero report to switch NHS patients to (a) dry powder and (b) low-global warming inhalers by 2027 to help the NHS meet its carbon targets.

Seema Kennedy: NHS England and NHS Improvement is currently reviewing cost and system pressures from changing prescribing practice linked to lower carbon inhalers and potential medication change impacts for patients. The NHS Long Term Plan has committed to a reduction in the carbon impact of inhalers of 4% of the total National Health Service carbon reduction required over the next 10 years to meet the current Climate Change Act targets.

Department of Health and Social Care: Empty Property

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the name and location of the land and buildings owned by his Department that is (a) sitting empty and (b) in the process of being sold or disposed of; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: The Department does not currently have any buildings sitting empty. The only surplus building held by the Department is Hazel Court, Haydon Place, St Johns Hill, Battersea. Hazel Court is occupied by Guardians (who perform a caretaker role) so not technically empty. Disposal options for this asset are being considered.Part of the Department estate is made up of land that is not developable for several reasons, this includes land such as highways, footpaths and verges. Of the developable land, the following is surplus;- Land at Elmfield Way off Harrow Rd, London W9 – Disposal options are currently being considered;- Land at Churchill Rd, Wisbech – Currently assessing the long-term health and/or social care need;- Land at Racecourse Lane, Shrewsbury – Currently assessing the long-term health and/or social care need;- Land at Princess Royal Hospital, Telford – Currently assessing the long-term health and/or social care need; and- Ransom Strip, Cumwinton Drive, Carlisle – Sale has been agreed and completion due shortly.

Health Professions: Migrant Workers

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Cuban-trained (a) doctors and (b) nurses are employed by the NHS.

Stephen Hammond: NHS Digital publishes hospital and community health services workforce statistics for NHS trusts and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in England.NHS Digital workforce statistics reports on the nationality of doctors and nurses in English NHS trusts and CCGs. As at December 2018 there were 14 members of NHS staff of Cuban nationality (headcount), including a total of six doctors, nurses and health visitors and midwives. Nationality data is self-reported and may reflect cultural heritage rather than country of birth. We do not know whether these workers received their medical training in Cuba or not.

General Practitioners: Leicester

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many GP practices in Leicester have joined the NHS Primary Care Network.

Seema Kennedy: Leicester City Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is in the process of finalising the structure for the Primary Care Networks (PCNs) in Leicester with general practitioner practices. PCNs are agreed for the majority of practices in the area. It is expected that confirmation for the remaining small number of practices not yet signed up will be given before the deadline of 30 June. As soon as the full structure is agreed, it will be communicated with the Leicester population and stakeholders. The CCG’s expectation is that all practices will be part of a PCN.

Cancer: Health Services

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve NHS waiting times for cancer patients.

Seema Kennedy: The NHS Long Term Plan sets out plans to improve early cancer diagnosis, and a new ambition that, by 2028, the proportion of cancers diagnosed at stages one and two will rise from around half to three-quarters of cancer patients. This will be achieved through raising greater awareness of symptoms of cancer, accelerating access to diagnosis and treatment, maximising the number of cancers that are identified through screening, and harnessing new innovations in technology. A radical overhaul of the way diagnostic services are delivered will ensure that people can get their diagnosis more quickly, including the roll-out of new Rapid Diagnostic Centres across the country to upgrade and bring together the latest diagnostic equipment and expertise. The independent cancer taskforce recommended the introduction of a new faster diagnosis standard to ensure that people receive a life changing confirmation of whether or not they have cancer within 28 days. This proposed new standard is being considered as part of the clinical review of National Health Service access standards currently being undertaken by NHS England.

General Practitioners

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the requirements for primary care networks to engage with the local community will be.

Seema Kennedy: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 18 June 2019.The correct answer should have been:

 Primary Care Networks (PCNs) are a new way for primary and community service organisations to work together. For PCNs to be successful they will need to work in partnership with local people and the communities they serve. Legal duties which currently apply to NHS service providers - including general practitioner practices - and commissioners around engagement and consultation will continue to be valid for PCNs.NHS England and NHS Improvement, together with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, is developing a ’commercial framework’ setting out the parameters for the commercial approach for medicines in the health service in England.The commercial framework will support a single, transparent, robust and integrated pricing and market access process, and is being tested with and informed through consultation with stakeholders including the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry.In preparation for public consultation in the coming months, NHS England is actively engaging with industry trade bodies and health system partners, in the first instance, to outline progress on the development of the commercial framework. The consultation on the draft framework is anticipated to be launched in Quarter 3 2019 with consultation events to be held in Manchester and London, and implementation of the commercial framework is expected to follow.

Seema Kennedy: Primary Care Networks (PCNs) are a new way for primary and community service organisations to work together. For PCNs to be successful they will need to work in partnership with local people and the communities they serve. Legal duties which currently apply to NHS service providers - including general practitioner practices - and commissioners around engagement and consultation will continue to be valid for PCNs.NHS England and NHS Improvement, together with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, is developing a ’commercial framework’ setting out the parameters for the commercial approach for medicines in the health service in England.The commercial framework will support a single, transparent, robust and integrated pricing and market access process, and is being tested with and informed through consultation with stakeholders including the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry.In preparation for public consultation in the coming months, NHS England is actively engaging with industry trade bodies and health system partners, in the first instance, to outline progress on the development of the commercial framework. The consultation on the draft framework is anticipated to be launched in Quarter 3 2019 with consultation events to be held in Manchester and London, and implementation of the commercial framework is expected to follow.

Mental Health: Economic Situation

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the study entitled Recession, recovery and suicide in mental health patients in England: time trend analysis, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry on 13 June 2019, what assessment he has made of the effect of economic pressures on male adults' mental health; and what steps he is taking to provide support and targeted interventions for patients experiencing financial difficulties.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Holding answer received on 18 June 2019



The Government recognises the impact that debt and financial difficulty can have on men’s mental health and wellbeing and that men are at a higher risk of suicide. The National Suicide Prevention Strategy highlights groups that need tailored approaches to address their mental health needs to reduce their suicide risk, including men. Every local authority has a suicide prevention plan in place and we are investing £25 million over the next three years to support these local plans. We have worked with NHS England and Public Health England to ensure that this funding is used to test different approaches to reaching men in local communities. We are working with the local government sector to assess the effectiveness of those plans, and a report will be published shortly that will highlight areas of best practice and areas for improvement. This report will include an analysis of the extent to which local authority plans are addressing high risk groups.

Genetics: Screening

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of patients that will benefit from whole genome sequencing in the first year of its introduction; and what steps is he taking to ensure the adequacy of trained professionals to provide that service.

Caroline Dinenage: As part of the NHS Long Term Plan, the National Health Service has committed to sequencing 500,000 whole genomes by 2023/24.During 2019, the NHS will begin to offer whole genome sequencing (WGS) as part of clinical care for:- Seriously ill children likely to have a rare genetic disorder;- People with one of 21 rare conditions where current evidence supports early adoption of WGS as a diagnostic test;- People with specific types of cancer for which there is likely to be the greatest patient benefit from using WGS – children with cancer, sarcoma and Acute Myeloid Leukaemia. As the price of whole genome sequencing falls and the evidence improves, we envisage that it will be extended to more conditions and therefore more patients.

Department for International Development

Yemen: Internally Displaced People

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support his Department is providing to internally displaced people in Yemen.

Dr Andrew Murrison: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 11 June 2019.The correct answer should have been:

The UK is providing a range of support to displaced people in Yemen in response to the displacement of 3.3 million people since the conflict began in 2015. Last financial year (2018/19), for example, we provided contributed to the provision of food assistance to over 490,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) and since June 2017 we have helped over 40,000 IDPs receive psychosocial support and provided over 35,000 with life-saving health care. The UK has also supported the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to provide primary healthcare and mental health services, legal assistance, child protection and support to survivors of gender-based violence. We are supporting IOM and UNHCR with £9 million this financial year (2019/20) to allow them to continue providing these vital services.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The UK is providing a range of support to displaced people in Yemen in response to the displacement of 3.3 million people since the conflict began in 2015. Last financial year (2018/19), for example, we provided contributed to the provision of food assistance to over 490,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) and since June 2017 we have helped over 40,000 IDPs receive psychosocial support and provided over 35,000 with life-saving health care. The UK has also supported the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to provide primary healthcare and mental health services, legal assistance, child protection and support to survivors of gender-based violence. We are supporting IOM and UNHCR with £9 million this financial year (2019/20) to allow them to continue providing these vital services.

Humanitarian Aid: Minority Groups

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what progress his Department has made on implementing the recommendations of the Wilton Park statement on assisting religious minorities in humanitarian crises.

Dr Andrew Murrison: DFID has reviewed and assessed the Wilton Park Statement on assisting religious minorities in humanitarian crises. Policy Teams will investigate how to incorporate the recommendations into their policy plans. We will continue to regularly challenge our partners to demonstrate that they are doing all they can to meet the needs of the most vulnerable people, including those from religious minorities.

Department for Education

Higher Education: Disadvantaged

James Frith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will reintroduce maintenance grants to ensure that disadvantaged students are not discouraged from entering higher education owing to concerns about the cost of living.

Chris Skidmore: The government will consider the Post-18 Education and Funding review panel’s recommendations carefully and will conclude the review at the Spending Review. The government has not yet taken decisions with regards to the recommendations put forward. Access and successful participation remain a priority for this government and is enshrined in the Higher Education and Research Act 2017. Everyone with the ability to succeed in higher education should have the opportunity, regardless of their background or where they grew up.

Students: Fees and Charges

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of university tuition fees on the finances of  graduates.

Chris Skidmore: The government is considering how graduates contribute to the cost of their studies. This includes the level, terms and duration of their contribution as part of the review of Post-18 Education and Funding. We want to make sure that funding arrangements across post-18 education and training are transparent, do not act as barriers to choice and offer value for money for students and taxpayers. The independent panel’s report to the government, published on 30 May, forms an important step in the review. The government will consider the panel’s recommendations carefully and will conclude the review at the Spending Review. The government has not yet taken decisions with regards to the recommendations put forward.

Languages: GCE A-level and GCSE

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to grade foreign language GCSE and A-level subjects in accordance with the common European framework of reference for languages after the UK leaves the EU.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have asked its Chief Regulator, Sally Collier, to write directly to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Schools: Finance

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to provide financial support to schools that are in deficit.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department is working with the sector to continue building capacity and expertise in financial management, particularly the prevention of a deficit. This includes supporting effective school resource management in trusts with three-year financial forecasting and developing buying hubs and recommended deals for all schools. We are also continuing to work with local authorities, as appropriate, to help them identify potential financial health issues and support schools. We have worked with them to understand how they work with maintained schools, share good practice and use the financial data available to them. In particular, the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) have introduced Schools Resource Management Advisers (SRMAs) to provide help and support to trusts and maintained schools. SRMAs are sector experts who will work with schools and trusts to provide tailored advice on how to make best use of their revenue and capital resources, and reduce non-staff spend, to deliver educational outcomes and contribute to whole-school improvement, prioritising those schools which will benefit the most. In the case of academy trusts, an academy trust having an in-year deficit is not in and of itself a negative thing. Schools can draw on their reserves for a range of planned and sensible reasons, for example, to spend on capital projects or whole-school improvements. This is prudent financial planning and not at the expense of educational delivery. The academies sector is stable with fewer than 2% of trusts subject to a Financial Notice to Improve. Where an academy trust does require additional support to manage a deficit, the ESFA will work with them to help them reach a stronger position. Where there is a risk to public funds, the ESFA will intervene in a way that is proportionate to the risk and preserves education provision. This can include issuing an Financial Notice to Improve, or in the most serious cases, termination of the Funding Agreement.

Truancy: Fines

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many parents have been fined as a result of the truancy of their children in each of the last two years.

Nick Gibb: Penalty notices are issued to parents by schools, local authorities or the police for failing to ensure that if their child is of compulsory school age, they regularly attend the state-funded school where they are registered or at the place where alternative provision is provided for them.The statistical publication 'Parental Responsibility Measures in England: 2017 to 2018' includes the numbers of penalty notices issued in England in table 1. The release is available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/parental-responsibility-measures-2017-to-2018.The data shows the number of penalty notices issued to parents; if a parent has received more than one penalty notice then each penalty notice would be counted. The number of parents who have received a penalty notice is not available.Collected information contains reasons for why penalty notices are issued and is broken down by 'unauthorised family holiday absence', 'arriving late' and 'absence due to other unauthorised circumstances'. Data is not collected specifically on the number issued due to truancy.

Erasmus+ Programme

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the potential soft power benefits of the UK's full association with the next Erasmus+ programme after the UK leaves the EU.

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential economic effect of the UK not being associated with the next Erasmus+ programme and its income and living expenditure grants.

Chris Skidmore: I refer My hon. Friend, the Member for Preseli Pembrokeshire to the answer I gave on 8 May 2019 to Question 252019.The government is considering the value for money of the UK's participation in the Erasmus+ programme. Ultimately, any decisions about our participation in the Erasmus+ programme will also be a matter for wider negotiations about our future relationship with the EU.

Schools: Standards

Eddie Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if it is Government policy that well performing schools shall not be made to convert to academies.

Nadhim Zahawi: The government believes that all schools can benefit from becoming an academy as part of an academy trust. The department’s policy remains that maintained schools are only required to become sponsored academies, due to educational underperformance, if they are judged inadequate by Ofsted.Many well performing schools are voluntarily choosing to convert to become academies. As a result, thousands of pupils are benefiting from higher standards in their schools. As of June 2019, there are 8,157 academies. Over two thirds of these academies, 5,861, are converter academies, and many of those have become system leaders within academy trusts by helping other schools to improve. We encourage any collaboration between schools that improves outcomes for pupils.

Department for Education: Empty Property

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish the name and location of the land and buildings owned by his Department that is (a) sitting empty and (b) in the process of being sold or disposed of; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Post-18 Education and Funding Review

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Government plans to consult the higher education sector before implementing the recommendations of the Review of post-18 education and funding.

Chris Skidmore: The independent panel report to the review of Post-18 Education and Funding was published on 30 May 2019. The government will consider the panel’s proposals carefully, and engage further with stakeholders and students, before finalising its approach at the Spending Review.

Healthy Pupils Capital Fund

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the healthy pupils capital programme; and what data his Department holds on the projects that were funded under that programme.

Nadhim Zahawi: Existing mechanisms for school condition funding are being used to report on healthy pupils capital fund (HPCF) expenditure. Data on HPCF spend collected during 2018/19 will be included in our report on capital spend by local authorities and multi-academy trusts on the school estate, which will be published in 2020.Successful HPCF projects funded through the Condition Improvement Fund 2018-19 have been published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/condition-improvement-fund-2018-to-2019-outcome.

Ministry of Justice

Offenders: Rehabilitation

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to rehabilitate offenders.

Robert Buckland: We are committed to ensuring prisons are places where offenders can turn their backs on crime – reducing reoffending and keeping the public safe. In order for prisons to enable rehabilitation, they must first be places of safety and so we are taking urgent action to improve prison safety and security, alongside reforms to overhaul the system to focus on the rehabilitation of offenders. We have invested £70 million to improve safety, security and decency in prisons, allowing us to fund new security scanners, improved searching techniques, phone-blocking technology and a financial crime unit to target criminals operating in prisons. Alongside this, we have taken immediate action to strengthen the frontline with over 4,700 new prison officers. To reduce reoffending, we are implementing a cohesive plan to ensure offenders receive the right interventions to meet their individual needs. This includes investing £7 million in in-cell telephones to allow prisoners to maintain important family ties, and tackling health issues such as drug addiction through our drugs strategy. We want to ensure that everyone leaving prison has access to a secure job and stable accommodation. Last year we launched the Education and Employment strategy to ensure offenders are set on a path to employment from the outset. Governors now have control to commission education provision that leads to work and we are engaging with employers to take on prisoners on ROTL or after release via the New Futures Network, which has had more than 230 businesses register to work with prisons since its launch. We also recently made changes so that Governors can now consider Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) earlier and in more cases to enable prisoners to enter the workplace sooner. Through the Government’s Rough Sleeping Strategy we have invested £6 million in pilot schemes bringing together prisons, local authorities, probation providers to help offenders find accommodation on release.

Prisons: Contracts

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the prison operator competition to date; and what estimate he has made of the projected cost of that competition.

Robert Buckland: The estimated cost for the Prison Operator Competition up to April 2019 is £1.8m. The estimated projected cost of the competition (including costs to date) is £5.5m. The estimated costs cover the staffing and external advice required to develop and run the competition.

Offences Against Children: Prosecutions

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make it his policy (a) to toughen sentencing guidelines for people found to have watched videos of child abuse and (b) to not implement the recommendation of the report, published by JUSTICE on 10 June 2019, entitled Prosecuting Sexual Offences, that calls for people found in possession of indecent images of children to not face prosecution if they successfully complete a Conditional Diversion Scheme.

Robert Buckland: Sentencing guidelines are a matter for the independent Sentencing Council. The courts are required to follow any guidelines relevant to the case before them, including the definitive guideline on Sexual Offences which came into effect on 1 April 2014. The Government has no current plans to implement the recommendation of the JUSTICE report to pilot a conditional diversion scheme for individuals who have viewed indecent images of children.

Ministry of Justice: Empty Property

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish the name and location of the land and buildings owned by his Department that is (a) sitting empty and (b) in the process of being sold or disposed of; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Buckland: The UK Government is a significant landowner. The current Government Estate Strategy sets out the Government's vision to create an efficient, fit-for-purpose sustainable estate. As a Government we are delivering this vision, ensuring that the estate is fit for purpose, is frequently reviewed and aligned to the Estate Strategy, and is managed in an efficient and effective way. Land and empty buildings owned by the Ministry of Justice that are in the process of being disposed of are as follows: Land and empty buildings that is in the process of being disposed ofSite nameLocationCurrent statusAlton Magistrates ' CourtHampshireIn progressAylesbury New Crown Site (land)BuckinghamshireIn progressBirmingham Masshouse (land)BirminghamIn progressBirmingham Youth CourtBirminghamPreparing for disposalChichester Combined CourtWest SussexIn progressChichester Magistrates’ CourtWest SussexIn progressChippenham Magistrates’ CourtWiltshireIn progressEbbw Vale (land)Blaenau GwentIn progressHarlow Magistrates' CourtEssexIn progressHartlepool Magistrates’ & County CourtCounty DurhamIn progressRuncorn (Halton) Magistrates' CourtCheshireIn progressScunthorpe Magistrates' and County CourtLincolnshireIn progressScunthorpe Magistrates' Court OfficesLincolnshireIn progressSheffield Tribunal - East ParadeSouth YorkshireIn progressSunderland County CourtTyne and WearIn progressTelford County CourtShropshirePreparing for disposalTorquay - Riviera Way (land)DevonIn progressTorquay Magistrates' CourtDevonIn progressFormer HMP ReadingBerkshirePreparing for disposalMorton Hall, Ex Quarters OfficesLincolnshirePreparing for disposalFormer Haslar Immigration Removal Centre, GosportHampshirePreparing for disposalFormer Dover Immigration Removal CentreKentIn progressFormer HMP Camp HillIsle of WightPreparing for disposalLand at HMP LindholmeSouth YorkshireIn progressLand at HMP LittleheyCambridgeshireIn progressFormer HMP Blantyre HouseKentPreparing for disposalLand at HMP GartreeLeicestershirePreparing for disposalProbation property, LeekStaffordshirePreparing for disposal Note: 1. The prison, probation and court estates contain empty land and buildings which are currently retained for operational purposes.2. Excludes properties that are in the process of being disposed of and in operational use.3. Excludes two empty prison officers quarters, the details of which have been excluded for security reasons.

Courts: Staff

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the cumulative number of years of experience held by courts staff was in (a) 2010 and (b) 2018 by bands (i) a, (ii) b, (iii) c, (iv) d, (v) e and (vi) f.

Paul Maynard: The cumulative experience of all HMCTS staff between Bands A and F was 197,334.2 years in 2018. The earliest held comparable data is from 2012 and shows 165,045 years. This shows an increase of 32,289.2 over the period. The following table shows a breakdown by grade as requested. This shows an increase in cumulative experience at every grade.GradeMarch 2012 cumulative serviceMarch 2018 cumulative serviceDifferentialBand A6,052.96,582.2529.3Band B19,479.022,006.62,527.6Band C9,963.111,424.71,461.6Band D35,811.636,956.81,145.1Band E77,702.1100,644.522,942.4Band F16,036.119,719.33,683.2Total165,045.0197,334.232,289.2 We were unable to provide data from 2010 as HMCTS did not exist in its current form until 2011. Prior to this there were multiple business units that held their own people data, which is likely to impact upon the service length considerably as many staff would have worked in courts and tribunals for many years before this It should be noted that the data from 2012 is drawn from a different HR system than that from 2018 and as such is unlikely to be comparing like for like. As with any large data system, there are also likely to be some inaccuracies. Our data covers all staff who work operationally in HMCTS, not just court staff. We are unable to split the data further to include those only in courts.

Randox Testing Services: Compensation

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department holds on whether damages have been paid to people as a result of manipulation of forensic toxicology results at Randox.

Paul Maynard: The Government is unable to comment on compensation payments relating to the manipulation of forensic toxicology results at Randox until the criminal investigation into this matter is complete.

Race and Ethnicity Board

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people are members of the Race and Ethnicity Board that was established as a result of the Lammy Review; how many hours the members of that Board have worked in the last 12 months; what the budget is of that Board; and whether the Budget has remained the same in each year since that Board was established.

Edward Argar: As part of the Government’s response to the Lammy Review, we have set up a Race and Ethnicity Board to oversee progress on the recommendations, and the wider agenda of race disparity. The Board currently has circa 22 members and is chaired by the Ministry of Justice Director General for Policy, Communications and Analysis. Membership of the Board includes senior level representation from departmental policy groups (from Ministry of Justice and other government departments), operational bodies such as HM Prison and Probation Service, HM Courts and Tribunal Service, and the Crown Prosecution Service, and external members. It is not possible to isolate individual time spent on race disparity work, as the board members hold these positions as part of their wider work responsibilities. However, the board was set up in January 2018 and has since met on a quarterly basis. The board does not have a dedicated budget as work is resourced separately by the various organisations responsible for actions to address racial disparities.

Legal Aid Scheme: Homelessness

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether cases involving the risk of homelessness fall under the scope of legal aid.

Paul Maynard: Legal aid funding continues to be available for cases where an individual is at immediate risk of homelessness, or where there are disrepairs which seriously threaten the life or health of the individual or their family. Legal aid also remains available for housing possession cases, including the Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme. Legal aid may be sought via the Exceptional Case Funding scheme (ECF) in any matter where failure to provide it would breach, or risk breaching, the European Convention on Human Rights or enforceable EU law, subject to the statutory means and merits tests.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Department for Exiting the European Union: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many meetings he held with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 March 2019 and 31 May 2019.

James Cleverly: Between 1 March 2019 and 31 May 2019, the Secretary of State met with Chris Jones, Chief Scientific Adviser at DExEU during that period, on one occasion. It should be noted that this was a dual role for Chris Jones, and was combined with his position as the Director of Justice, Security and Migration.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 29 May to Question 256928, if he will publish a list of the meetings Big Ideas has participated in or organised as part of its public engagement work relating to the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre, indicating the target group in each such case.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Representatives from Big Ideas have visited several community groups in Westminster including mother and toddlers and senior citizens. More widely they have engaged with Holocaust Survivors, young people and faith communities.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 29 May to Question 256928 on the National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service, if he will publish a list the groups referred to in that answer that Big Ideas is reaching in public engagement.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Representatives from Big Ideas have visited several community groups in Westminster including mother and toddlers and senior citizens. More widely they have engaged with Holocaust Survivors, young people and faith communities.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 29 May to Question 256928, if he will place in the Library the parts of the Government’s agreement with Big Ideas relating to the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre which set out the work to be done by Big Ideas.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The funding agreement includes the following:• Consult with local Westminster community groups, including housing associations, over 50’s, Mother and Toddler groups, schools, about the proposed Holocaust Memorial.• Encourage people to write to Westminster City Council with their views.• Produce short social media videos on the Holocaust Memorial  • Support UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation and the Department on publicity and campaigns around the time Time Capsule  • Create an engagement campaign  • Organise community engagement activity.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 21 May to Question 253497 on the National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service,  if he will publish a break down of the additional £25 million allocated to each of the purposes listed in that answer.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The VAT incurred on the overall project is around £18 million. The balance of the additional £25 million is for the courtyard security and landscaping.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2019 to Question 229625, on what date the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation decided that none of the almost 50 possible sites identified for the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre between 7 September and 30 October 2015 met the criteria.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: 13 January 2016.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, on what date the board of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation first discussed the possible use of Victoria Tower Gardens for the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: 13 January 2016.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2019 to Question 229625, whether the almost 50 possible sites identified for the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre between 7 September and 30 October 2015 included the 24 sites referred to in the planning statement for the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre as having been identified by the CBRE in January 2016; and what reason underlay the difference in numbers.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: CBRE identified 24 sites in January 2016, the balance of sites were identified by the Government Property Unit and other third parties.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what sources of funding the Government is considering for the ongoing maintenance of the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in addition to entrance fees.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation will make recommendations to the Government in due course.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, which parts of the works associated with the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre were included in the calculation that seven per cent of Victoria Tower Gardens would be occupied by the proposed Memorial and Learning Centre; and if he will publish the evidential basis for that calculation.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The percentage was arrived at by taking the overall park area (18,848 square metres, excluding the Parliamentary Education Centre, stairs and existing toilet building) and dividing it by the above ground area occupied by the Holocaust Memorial (1,429 square metres, including fins, courtyard, security hedge, entrance). The figure is not seven percent but seven and a half percent.

Estate Agents: Licensing and Registration

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to introduce (a) a registration and (b) a licensing scheme for estate agents; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: We have commissioned the Regulation of Property Agents working group, chaired by Lord Best, to consider and advise Government on a new regulatory approach to letting, managing and estate agents. The group is due to report in July 2019 and Government awaits their recommendations before determining next steps.

Homelessness: Domestic Abuse

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his Department's policies of the findings of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Ending Homelessness that nearly 2,000 homeless people fleeing domestic abuse are not considered to be a priority for settled housing.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Government is committed to reducing homelessness and rough sleeping. No one should ever have to sleep rough. That is why last summer we published the cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy. This sets out an ambitious £100 million package to help people who sleep rough now, but also puts in place the structures that will end rough sleeping once and for all. The Government has now committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period.In its first year, our Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI) provided over 1,750 new bed spaces and 500 staff. This year we have expanded the RSI with investment of £46 million for 246 areas – providing funding for an estimated 2,600 bed spaces and 750 staff.Although our data is still experimental the indications are that people who do not have priority need are being assisted by local authorities to prevent or relieve their homelessness. During the first 3 quarters for which we have published data 189,760 households have had a duty to prevent or relieve homelessness accepted, and only 6,020 households have been issued with a 'non priority homeless' decision. Our data indicates that less than 10 per cent of all applicants are homeless due to Domestic Abuse, and local authorities will be more inclined to provide accommodation to victims of abuse than others where there are competing demands for accommodation that is available to single people. People who are found to have no priority need are still entitled to assistance to relieve their homelessness.The Homelessness Reduction Act is still very new and we expect outcomes to improve as the new duties are better understood. It is also important to understand that local authorities are adjusting to new reporting requirements that affect data quality, which is why MHCLG published data is experimental.

Homelessness: Domestic Abuse

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that survivors of domestic abuse who become homeless as a result of that abuse are given priority for settled accommodation and not subject to the vulnerability test.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Government is committed to reducing homelessness and rough sleeping. No one should ever have to sleep rough. That is why last summer we published the cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy. This sets out an ambitious £100 million package to help people who sleep rough now, but also puts in place the structures that will end rough sleeping once and for all. The Government has now committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period. In its first year, our Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI) provided over 1,750 new bed spaces and 500 staff. This year we have expanded the RSI with investment of £46 million for 246 areas – providing funding for an estimated 2,600 bed spaces and 750 staff. Ensuring that everyone has a decent, affordable, secure home is a key priority for this government. That is why we have made a commitment to halve rough sleeping by 2022 and end it altogether and why we are committed to preventing people from becoming homeless in the first place. Underpinning our work on homelessness and rough sleeping is the Homelessness Reduction Act which came into force last April. It is the most ambitious reform to homelessness legislation in decades, requiring local authorities to provide free advice and information about homelessness and the prevention of homelessness. Local authorities must ensure they tailor the advice to meet the needs of particularly vulnerable groups including those who are victims of domestic abuse. In addition to providing free advice and information, local authorities must now carry out assessments of the housing and support needs of people who are homeless or threatened with homelessness and take reasonable steps to try and prevent or relieve their homelessness. These duties apply irrespective of priority need or intentional homelessness, and the steps the local authority and the applicant are to take must be set out in a personalised housing plan. Our focus is to ensure that the new prevention and relief duties are being deployed to provide help to all eligible people, including single people who do not have priority need. Existing legislation provides that a person who is pregnant, has dependent children, or is vulnerable as a result of having to leave accommodation due to domestic abuse already has priority need for accommodation. The Government is committed to ensuring that the Homelessness Reduction Act is working for all and that those fleeing violent relationships get the support they need.

Social Rented Housing: Regulation

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the establishment of a new regulator for social housing.

Kit Malthouse: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Rented Housing: Inspections

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing (a) proactive and (b) regular inspections to increase standards in the social housing sector.

Kit Malthouse: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will provide additional funding to replace highly combustible material on balconies of blocks of flats.

Kit Malthouse: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ministry of Defence

National Security

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent research her Department has commissioned on the threat environment.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence, as part of wider Government, keeps threats and potential threats under constant review using a wide range of information sources including research.

Small Businesses: Expenditure

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much her Department has spent on SMEs in (a) the UK, (b) each region of the UK and (c) each constituent part of the UK in last 12 months.

Stuart Andrew: Each year, the Cabinet Office publishes information on central government spend with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The latest publication, 2017-2018, can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/central-government-spend-with-smes-2017-to-2018 This includes overall Ministry of Defence (MOD) expenditure with SMEs. Statistics on MOD expenditure, broken down by region is published in Tables 4 and 5 of the MOD regional expenditure with UK industry and supported employment 2017-18 bulletin, which can be found at the link below: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-regional-expenditure-with-uk-industry-and-supported-employment-201718 Data for 2018-19 will be published in January 2020. The MOD does not collate detailed information about spend on individual companies, including small and medium-sized enterprises, in each region or constituent part of the UK.

Belize: Military Aid

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which international partners the British Army Training Support Unit Belize has offered training to in the last year.

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which international partners the British Army Training Support Unit Belize has offered to provide training for in the next year.

Mark Lancaster: The British Army Training Support Unit Belize is not offered to other nations for their use, but the Army does seek to facilitate any requests for such use that may be made. Within the last year, the United States, the Netherlands and Norway have used the facilities. Currently, the same three nations are planning to train there in the coming year.

Ministry of Defence: Empty Property

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2019 to Question 252480, if he will publish the name and location of each of the 47 sites which are empty and being disposed of by his Department.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: A copy of the list showing the names and locations of the 47 sites which are empty and being disposed of by the Ministry of Defence is attached.



MOD sites by location being disposed off or empty
(Excel SpreadSheet, 30.44 KB)

Ministry of Defence: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many meetings she held with her Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 March 2019 and 31 May 2019.

Penny Mordaunt: Between 1 March 2019 and 31 May 2019 - there have been no meetings between the Secretary of State for Defence and the Chief Scientific Adviser.

Armed Forces: Complaints

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many recommendations by the Service Complaints Ombudsman were included in its annual report in (a) 2016,  (b) 2017 and (c) 2018; and if she will make a statement.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many recommendations by the Service Complaints Ombudsman are under current consideration by her Department.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 12 June 2019 to Question 261162.



Armed Forces: Complaints
(Word Document, 30.12 KB)

Small Businesses: Cybercrime

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what responsibility his Department has for protecting SMEs from cyber threats.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence is not directly responsible for protecting Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) from cyber threats. We do take an interest in their security status and assess their capabilities as part of the contracting process. This is done as part of the Defence Cyber Protection Partnership (DCPP), which provides communications and awareness products and activities on cyber security to support Defence and its supply chain.

Children: Maintenance

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2019 to Question 261264 on Children: Maintenance, how many of the 75 rejections related to serving members of the armed forces.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: All 75 rejections related to serving personnel and were on administrative grounds as the incorrect form had been submitted by the Child Maintenance Service.

Department for Work and Pensions

Occupational Pensions

James Frith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when her Department plans to publish its joint review with Her Majesty’s Treasury on survivor benefits in occupational pension schemes.

Guy Opperman: The Review on survivor benefits provided a wealth of important information. Since then the Supreme Court judgement in Walker has changed the landscape of survivor benefits. The Government is assessing the detailed implications of the Review in the context of this important judgement and will respond in due course.

Universal Credit: Repayments

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2019 to Question 260559 on universal credit, what assessment she has made of the average length of time taken to repay in full advance payments made under universal credit.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 17 June 2019



The Department encourages all Universal Credit claimants to actively consider how best to manage their personal budget, with additional advice and support available from work coaches and case managers. When an advance payment is appropriate, claimants decide what percentage of their expected monthly award to apply for and over what period to repay it, up to a maximum of 12 monthly instalments. Claimants have the ability to make the decision for themselves on the time period for repayment. Most claimants (around 85%) choose to repay their advance over a 12-month period, with others repaying in a shorter timeframe. The Department has taken a number of steps to ensure that advances meet the needs of claimants and that recovery arrangements are personalised and reasonable. From October 2019 we are reducing the maximum rate of deductions to 30 per cent and from October 2021 we are increasing the maximum recovery period for advances from 12 to 16 months.

Department for Work and Pensions

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much her Department has spent on advertising in the last 12 months; and what proportion of that spend was on advertising for universal credit.

Alok Sharma: We are the biggest Government Department providing support on a daily basis to around 22 million citizens. We have a responsibility to raise awareness of the benefits people may be entitled to and ensure they have the information they need when it comes to making a claim. The Department also has a responsibility to ensure claimants do not miss out on their full entitlements and to encourage people to make their claim as quickly as possible. We use advertising to communicate to our claimants. Total advertising spend across the Department in the 12 months from April 2018 to March 2019 was £17,351,663 of which the Universal Credit Opening Up Work campaign accounted for £4,600,209. We can commit to publishing an update 2019/20 advertising spend at the end of July.

Universal Credit

Eddie Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of (a) increased data sharing with social landlords and (b) other enhancements of the Trusted Partner Status programme with housing associations.

Will Quince: The Department is continuing to consider how they can develop its Trusted Partner Status programme. This requires careful consideration and evaluation surrounding how we manage data security, whilst realising the advantages that data sharing with partner organisations brings to our claimants. We are working with a wide and diverse range of stakeholders to design any future processes.

Department for Work and Pensions: Empty Property

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will publish the name and location of the land and buildings owned by her Department that is (a) sitting empty and (b) in the process of being sold or disposed of; and if she will make a statement.

Will Quince: In 2017 the Office of Government Property published the Guide for the Disposal of Surplus Land, providing detailed guidance on how to plan for and execute land disposals. This guide mandates that departmental land holdings must be registered on the e-PIMs central record system. Land holdings deemed surplus are recorded on the Register of Surplus Land for at least 40 days for other government departments to express an interest. Homes England and Department for Education/LocatEd are given a higher allowance of 50 days to express an interest if the site could be developed for housing or a free school. After the 50-day period surplus land holdings are recorded here.

Employment and Support Allowance

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answers of  8 and 29 April 2019 to Questions 239928 and 245887, what progress she has made on revision of form ESA65B and whether that revision will make clear to doctors that they should continue to provide fit notes for claimants if they are appealing a decision or their condition worsens.

Justin Tomlinson: The revised version of the ESA65B letter went live from 3rd June 2019. The revised letter states clearly the circumstances in which fit notes are required including to support Employment and Support Allowance appeals, where a claimant’s condition has worsened or if the claimant has developed a new health condition or disability.

Universal Credit

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much her Department has spent from the public purse on defending legal cases in relation to people formerly in receipt of severe disability premium that have transferred to universal credit.

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much her Department has spent to date on legal costs in the case of R (TP AR & SXC) v SSWP & Anor [2019] EWHC 1116 (QB) involving payments to former recipients of Severe Disability Premium who have transferred to universal credit.

Justin Tomlinson: As at 14th June 2019, the Department has spent £131,399.50 on legal costs defending and appealing the cases in relation to people formerly in receipt of Severe Disability premium that have transferred to Universal Credit, broken down as follows. The Department has spent £91,528.68 on legal costs defending and appealing the case of TP and AR v SSWP. The Department has spent £39,870.82 on legal costs defending and appealing the case of TP, AR and SXC v SSWP. These figures include Government Legal Department litigation fees, counsel’s fees and other disbursements, as well as VAT where payable. This does not include payment of any costs paid or which may be owed to the claimants’ solicitors. Time spent by Government advisory lawyers is not recorded in a manner that allows it to be attributed to individual cases. Time spent by policy officials supporting lawyers is not recorded.

Universal Credit

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much her Department has spent on legal costs in the case of R (Johnson and Ors) v SSWP [2019] EWHC 23 (Admin) as of 14 June 2019.

Alok Sharma: As at 14th June 2019, the Department has spent £52,446 on legal costs defending and appealing the case of Johnson & Others v SSWP. This includes Government Legal Department litigation fees, counsel’s fees and other disbursements, as well as VAT where payable. This does not include payment of the claimants’ solicitor’s costs. Time spent by Government advisory lawyers is not recorded in a manner that allows it to be attributed to individual cases.

Universal Credit

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 30 July 2018 to Question 166515 on Universal Credit, what the latest estimate is that she has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of universal credit claims that have been started but not completed.

Alok Sharma: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for High Peak on 14 February 2019 to Question 219577.

Statutory Sick Pay: Reform

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she plans to publish a consultation on reform of statutory sick pay.

Justin Tomlinson: We plan to consult later this year on measures to reform Statutory Sick Pay.

Children: Maintenance

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many deductions of earnings (a) orders and (b) requests were issued by the Child Maintenance Service to the Ministry of Defence's Defence Business Services for the purpose of collecting child maintenance in each of the last three years.

Will Quince: Information on the number of paying parents under the Child Maintenance Service with a Deduction from Earnings Order or Deduction from Earnings Request in place can be found in the latest Published statistics last updated 17 April 2019, a link to which can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-on-the-2012-statutory-child-maintenance-scheme The Child Maintenance Service does not issue Deduction from Earnings Orders to the Ministry of Defence. The information specifically on how many Deduction from Earnings Requests were issued to the Ministry of Defence’s Defence Business Services in each of the last three years is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much compensation his Department has paid out as a result of late payments of universal credit; how many claimants have received compensation; and what the criteria is for eligibility for compensation.

Alok Sharma: The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at Disproportionate cost.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Brexit

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what separate workstreams his Department has established to develop (a) agricultural policy and (b) operational delivery after the UK leaves the EU; what processes are in place for (i) cross-team integration and (ii) co-ordinated stakeholder engagement to deliver integrated and efficient schemes and avoid duplication and complexities for end users; and how much budget has been allocated for the development of each workstream in (A) 2019-20, (B) 2020-21, (C) 2021-22.

David Rutley: Defra has established the Future Farming and Countryside Programme to develop agricultural policy. Operational delivery after the UK’s departure from the EU has been organised as a Department Portfolio containing seven programmes, with a number of cross-cutting enablers providing cross-team integration. Coordinated stakeholder engagement is provided through an Operations Centre and the running of Management Board and Portfolio Board meetings. Defra has been allocated a budget of £410 million for 2019-2020, with no further allocations made as the spending review has not taken place yet.

Food: Imports

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the National Audit Office report Ensuring food safety and standards published 12 June 2019, what steps is he taking to bring forward new regulations on imported products in preparation for the UK leaving the EU on 31st October 2019; and if he will make a statement.

David Rutley: The Food Standards Agency has welcomed the NAO report ‘Ensuring food safety and standards’. The FSA is already taking steps to address the proposals and is committed to working closely with other parts of government to ensure that a high level of food safety standards is maintained. When we leave the European Union, we will maintain our current standards. We will keep our existing UK legislation, and the EU Withdrawal Act will convert EU law into UK law as it applies at the moment of departure. We are committed to maintaining our rigorous standards on animal welfare and food safety after the UK’s withdrawal from the EU - high standards and high quality are what our domestic and global customers demand, and that is what we will provide.

Tree Felling: Sheffield

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Forestry Commission plans to publish the results of its investigation into street tree felling in Sheffield.

David Rutley: The Forestry Commission’s internal report on its investigation into whether or not trees in Sheffield have been felled without a licence when a licence would have been required under section 9 of the Forestry Act 1967 (as amended) is nearing completion and will be published by the Forestry Commission, as the regulatory authority, as soon as due process allows.

Home Office

Home Office: Empty Property

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish the names and locations of the land and buildings owned by his Department that are (a) sitting empty and (b) in the process of being sold or disposed of; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office closed the Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre in Kidlington, Oxfordshire on 31 May 2019.When disposing of surplus property assets the Home Office will always seek best value for the taxpayer.

Drugs: Organised Crime

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many active investigations into individuals for conspiracy to commit offences under the Modern Slavery Act 2015 there are in relation to county lines criminal activity.

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the publication entitled, County lines drugs supply, vulnerability and harm 2018, published in January 2019 by the National Crime Agency, how many of the 1000 lines are (a) under active investigation and (b) under active investigation with an investigative focus on identifying and charging individuals involved in conspiracy to commit offences under the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Victoria Atkins: We do not hold data on the number of active investigations in connection with county lines as this is an operational matter for the police. We have provided £3.6 million to establish the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre, a joint initiative between the NPCC and the NCA. Since its launch in September 2018, it has carried out three separate weeks of operational intensification leading to over 1600 arrests, over 2100 individuals safeguarded and significant seizures of weapons and drugs.

Home Office: Statistics

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many occasions his Department has received representations from the UK Statistics Authority on his Department's presentation and use of statistics in each year since 2010.

Victoria Atkins: Details on the UK Statistics Authority’s interventions are published in the correspondence , publications , and issues log sections of their website since 2010.The Authority’s Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) also carry out regular assessments and systemic reviews, details of which can also be found on the Authority’s website .In September 2018, the Authority published the first annual summary of its interventions for the financial year 2017/18 . The report for 2018/19 will be published in the autumn.  https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/correspondence-list/https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/publications-list/ https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/reports-and-correspondence/issues-log/  https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/osr/  https://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/publication/annual-casework-review-20172018/

Offensive Weapons Act 2019

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the resources required to conduct the additional enforcement activity provided for in the Offensive Weapons Act 2019.

Victoria Atkins: We will shortly be publishing the final Impact Assessment to accompany the Offensive Weapons Act 2019, which will set out our overall assessment of the costs and impacts associated with the measures the Act contains.

Randox Testing Services

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of cases of erroneous testing results at Randox laboratories that resulted in a person wrongly having their diving licence suspended.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office has made no assessment on the number of suspended driving licenses based on tests by Randox Testing Services. The NPCC leads the retesting programme with assistance from the Crown Prosecution Service and others and is committed to giving regular updates.

Asylum: Finance

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding allocated to local authorities to provide services to meet the needs of asylum seekers.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office are engaging closely with Local Authority Chief Executives on a continuous basis to assess the costs associated with meeting the needs of asylum seekers. As recently outlined in correspondence between Ministers and Local Authorities, it has been agreed that this joint review will be co-designed and co-produced by Local Authorities and the Home Office.

Visas: Overseas Students

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2019 to Question 258941, on Visas: Migrant Workers, what guidance his Department has provided to Sopra Steria on managing the anticipated increase in the number of student visa applications in September 2019.

Caroline Nokes: UKVI hasset out clear expectations to Sopra Steria on the provision of the service during the student surge from September. UKVI are working closely with Sopra Steria to ensure that any additional services are delivered at the appropriate times and location in order to meet demand. This preparation work has included providing Sopra Steria with historical data on student applications volumes to support their planning.

Biometrics Commissioner: Annual Reports

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans lay before the House the Biometrics Commissioner’s Annual Report for 2018.

Mr Nick Hurd: We will publish the report in full as soon as possible.

Immigration: Fees and Charges

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration’s report, An inspection of the Home Office Borders, Immigration and Citizenship System’s relating to charging and fees, published on 4 April 2019, what progress has been made on assessing the potential merits of tapering the fee for repeat applications.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office is still considering its approach with regard to fee tapering for repeat settlement applications, which was recommended for review in the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration’s report. The Home Office keeps all its fees under review and any future changes will be dependent upon the outcome of the next Spending Review.

Migrant Workers: English Language

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how language competency will be taken into account as a key skill in the skilled workers route under a new immigration framework.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a language competency for the shortage occupation list under the proposed new immigration framework.

Caroline Nokes: In December 2018, the Government set out its proposals in “the UK’s future Skills-based Immigration System” White Paper. The White Paper proposals include a new route for skilled workers which will be open to anyone at RQF level 3 and above, irrespective of where they are applying from. The White Paper is clear that those applying in this route will be subject to an assessment of their language skills in order to support integration.The Shortage Occupation List (SOL), is based on expert advice from the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) and identifies those occupations deemed to be in national shortage. It does not include a separate language assessment. The MAC published their most recent review of the full SOL on the 29 May. The Government is grateful to the MAC for a comprehensive report, the content of which we are now considering.

Visas: Migrant Workers

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make it his policy to extend the proposed transitional measure of a time-limited route for temporary short-term workers from 12 months to three years.

Caroline Nokes: The Government published its White Paper “The UK’s future skills-based immigration system” on 19 December 2018, which proposed a new route for short-term workers to come to the UK for up to 12 months. This will be subject to a full review by 2025.In the interim, we have launched a year-long programme of engagement to enable businesses and other stakeholders to shape the final details of policy and processes contained within the White Paper.

Slavery: Libya

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support the National Crime Agency has provided to (a)  security forces and (b) law enforcement to address modern slavery in Libya in the last 12 months.

Mr Ben Wallace: The National Crime Agency (NCA) led Organised Immigration Crime Taskforce has been supporting the development of a Libya-owned serious organised crime strategy, sharing best practice with the Libyan Attorney-General’s Office. This has included building niche law enforcement capabilities with trusted Libyan partners to tackle modern slavery and organised immigration crime threats over the last 12 months. The NCA has also collaborated with European and international partners to impose UN Security Council co-designated sanctions on six Libyan and Eritrean people traffickers.

Attorney General

Randox Testing Services:

Louise Haigh: To ask the Attorney General, what estimate his Department has made of the number of prosecutions dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service as a result of data manipulation of forensic toxicology at Randox.

Lucy Frazer: There is an ongoing investigation into data manipulation at Randox Testing Services. The Crown Prosecution Service will continue to support this process to ensure that fairness and transparency in the system is maintained. The CPS does not maintain a central record of the number of prosecutions that were dropped as a result of data manipulation of forensic toxicology at Randox. This could only be obtained through a manual search of case records, at disproportionate cost.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Public Appointments

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 21 May 2019 to Question 255390, Cabinet Office: Public Appointments, when he expects to appoint a Chief Data Officer.

Oliver Dowden: I refer the Honourable Member to my given to Question 255390 on 21 May.

Cabinet Office: Empty Property

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the name and location of the land and buildings owned by his Department that is (a) sitting empty and (b) in the process of being sold or disposed of; and if he will make a statement.

Oliver Dowden: In 2017 the Office of Government Property published the Guide for the Disposal of Surplus Land, providing detailed guidance on how to plan for and execute land disposals.This guide mandates that departmental land holdings must be registered on the e-PIMs central record system. Land holdings deemed surplus are recorded on the Register of Surplus Land for at least 40 days for other government departments to express an interest.Homes England and Department for Education/LocatEd are given a higher allowance of 50 days to express an interest if the site could be developed for housing or a free school.After the 50-day period surplus land holdings are recorded on the publicly accessible Government Property Finder on Gov.uk.The Cabinet Office are currently in the process of sale/disposal of:Sunningdale Park, Ascot - under conditional contract for sale, with imminent completion expected. Once finalised, the department will have no ongoing liabilities for the site.

Cabinet Office: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many meetings he held with the Government's Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 March 2019 and 31 May 2019.

Mr David Lidington: I refer the Right Honourable Member to my answer given to Question 198752 on 7 January.

Huawei: 5G

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2019 to Question 261279 on Huawei: 5G, what recent assessment he has made of the merits of assessing 5G equipment for resilience and reliability prior to deployment.

Mr David Lidington: 5G standards are still being ratified and the hardware and software that implements them is still being updated often during early commercial service. As a result, there are limited benefits in testing 5G equipment pre-deployment due to those changes and updates. The National Cyber Security Centre is focusing on those deployments and software releases in the UK which are most important.

Treasury

Research and Development Tax Credit

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the proposed cap on research and development tax credits for SMEs in the life sciences sector; and what steps he is taking to ensure that companies in the Cambridge area are not affected by the cap.

Jesse Norman: Research and Development (R&D) tax reliefs, including the small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) scheme, support businesses to invest and are a core part of the Government’s support for innovation. Budget 2018 announced a cap on the payable tax credit element of the SME tax relief scheme of three times the company’s total PAYE and NICs liability for that year, to help prevent identified fraud and abuse of the scheme. The Government consulted between 28 March and 24 May 2019 on how the cap will be applied so as to minimise any impact on genuine businesses. The responses to that consultation, including those from representatives in the life sciences sector, are being analysed.

Income Tax: South Wales

Jessica Morden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many tax payers for each rate of income tax there are in (a) Newport East constituency, (b) Newport West constituency, (c) Monmouth constituency, (d) Newport Local Authority and (e) Monmouthshire Local Authority.

Jesse Norman: Estimates of the number of tax paying individuals in the areas requested and by marginal tax rate are provided in the following table. Numbers of taxpayers (thousands) in tax year 2016-17,by marginal tax rate,for selected Parliamentary Constituencies and Local Authorities  Savers RateBasic RateHigher RateAdditional RateTotal Parliamentary Constituency  Monmouth..398..49Newport East..293..32Newport West..345..40  Local Authority  Monmouthshire..408..49Newport..577..65 Source: Survey of Personal Incomes, 2016-17 Notes on the table1 Figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand.2 The 2016-17 tax year is the latest year for which these figures are available.3 Monmouth, Newport East and Newport West are shown at Parliamentary Constituency level; Monmouthshire and Newport are shown at Local Authority level.4 An individual’s marginal tax rate is the proportion of an extra pound of income that would be paid in Income Tax, which depends on their total taxable income and its composition.5 The Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI) is based on a sample of taxpayers. Values in the table based on particularly small numbers of taxpayers have been suppressed, to protect the confidentiality of individuals’ information.6 Symbols used in the table:.. Suppressed- Negligible. Not applicable7 As is the case with the published Personal Incomes Statistics, these figures are statistical estimates and will be subject to sampling variation. For further information, please see the Personal Incomes Statistics release (Annex B), at the link below.https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/personal-incomes-statistics

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

American Football: Greater London

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effect of London-based NFL American football games on the level of tourism to the UK.

Rebecca Pow: The Department has not made an assessment of the effect London based American Football games have on the levels of UK tourism, however the latest research from VisitBritain suggests that 6% of inbound travellers come to the UK for live sporting events. VisitBritain have recently released research entitled ‘International Buzzseekers Football Research’ which includes American sports and their popularity outside of the USA with different markets. VisitBritain also work with London & Partners to promote the American Football games in London through social media.

Women and Equalities

Equality Act 2010

Dame Louise Ellman: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, when she plans to implement section 36 of the Equality Act 2010; and will she make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: Some parts of Section 36 of the Equality Act 2010 were commenced following Royal Assent to that Act. In March 2018, the Government announced its intention to commence the remaining parts of Section 36 in its response to the Women and Equalities Select Committee report on disability and the built environment. A commencement date will be announced in due course, after further work to identify and assess any additional burdens on local authorities.

HIV Infection: Discrimination

Gill Furniss: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to ensure that people with HIV are not discriminated against when seeking tattoo, piercings and other similar services.

Victoria Atkins: The Equality Act 2010 contains clear, enforceable protections to prevent people from being discriminated against or harassed because of a disability in the provision of services. A person with HIV is automatically protected under the Act because this condition is specified as a disability in the Act.

Civil Servants: Ethnic Groups

Dawn Butler: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how many Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people have been employed at each civil service grade in the (a) Government Equalities Office and (b) Civil Service in each year since 2010.

Victoria Atkins: In April 2019, the Government Equalities Office became an integral part of the Cabinet Office. GEO staff are employees of the Cabinet Office, who are responsible for collecting workforce diversity and inclusion data. GEO does not have access to this data as the size of GEO means that individual members of staff could be identifiable. Prior to April 2019, GEO workforce diversity data will have been included in the data of the relevant parent department. The Office for National Statistics publishes annual data on Civil Service employment in the UK, including ethnicity data by department: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/civilservicestatistics In addition, data regarding numbers of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic civil servants by grade is published at: https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/workforce-and-business/workforce-diversity/civil-service-workforce/latest

Government Equalities Office: Written Questions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, when she plans to respond to Question 251971 on Equal Pay, tabled by the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion on 8 May 2019.

Victoria Atkins: This Question was answered on 11 June 2019.

Government Equalities Office: Behavioural Insights Team

Dawn Butler: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will provide the (a) full cost breakdown and (b) agreed programme of work and outcomes of the contract her Department has tendered with the Behavioural Insights Team on work relating to the gender pay gap.

Victoria Atkins: We are committed to ensuring that the UK is an international leader on gender equality research, so that employers have the tools and knowledge they need to close their gender pay gaps.In September 2017, we invested £2 million in the Gender and Behavioural Insights programme (GABI), a two-year partnership between GEO and the Behavioural Insights Team to understand how behavioural science techniques can help to improve gender equality in the workplace. In December 2018 we extended the GABI programme for a third year, investing a further £1 million. Information on further breakdown of costs is commercially sensitive. The GABI programme is working with large UK-based employers to design, trial and evaluate behavioural interventions to reduce the gender pay gap and improve gender equality more broadly. It is also taking forward a suite of other behavioural science trials including on recruitment, returners, part time working, parental leave, gendered feedback and others. In August 2018, the GABI programme published guidance for employers to understand what actions are likely to improve recruitment and progression of women and reduce the gender pay gap, which was actively welcomed by businesses: https://gender-pay-gap.service.gov.uk/actions-to-close-the-gap. This guidance will be updated in the autumn alongside a set of new Implementation Guides.

Women's Business Council

Dawn Butler: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what recent assessment she has made of the merits of the work of the Women's Business Council; and what its forthcoming work programme will be.

Penny Mordaunt: The Women’s Business Council published its inaugural report five years ago. Since then we have seen a significant shift in women’s participation in, and experiences of, the workplace.The Council has successfully influenced government policy on shared parental leave, flexible working and the provision of childcare. Members have raised the profile of issues with business leaders and developed specific programmes and toolkits for the business community.I would like to pay tribute to the current Chair, Dame Cilla Snowball as she steps down from office next month, for overseeing the success of the Council’s programme.We will be announcing the new Chair of the Women’s Business Council and its future business programme shortly.

Career Breaks: Females

Dawn Butler: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how many women have returned to the labour market as a result of funding from the Women Returners programme.

Penny Mordaunt: Three rounds of funding for Returners Grants have been announced since March 2018, with £1.5 million now awarded to sixteen organisations supporting returners. Successful organisations funded under the first round began their programmes early this year.These programmes provide extensive support to returners, supporting them to develop skills, build confidence, and complete accredited qualifications and training before they return to the labour market. Employment opportunities for returners taking part in the first round of projects will be sourced later this year.

Career Breaks: Females

Dawn Butler: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what estimate she has made of the number of (a) disabled and (b) black, Asian and minority ethnic group women who have returned to the labour market as a result of funding from the Women Returners programme.

Penny Mordaunt: Three rounds of funding for Returner Grants have been announced since March 2018, with £1.5 million now awarded to sixteen organisations supporting returners. These programmes provide extensive support to returners, supporting them to develop skills, build confidence, and complete accredited qualifications and training, before they return to the labour market.Programmes funded under the Returners Grant Fund will capture data on the protected characteristics of participants as part of programme evaluation. This will include ethnicity, disability, age, education and length of unemployment. Evaluation reports will be published upon the completion of all returner programmes funded by GEO.